The present invention relates to a garlic press. More generally, the present invention relates to a food press of the type.
In its most traditional form, a garlic press has a first lever arm with an accommodation space for the material which is to be pressed. This accommodation space is open in one direction and is closed by means of a grid in the other direction. The traditional garlic press further has a second lever arm which is pivotally connected to the first arm and has a press die which fits into the accommodation space and on cranking or closure of the lever arms, presses the material located in the accommodation space through the grid of the accommodation space. Such a garlic press is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,370,044.
WO 02/096251 discloses a garlic press which has an upper shank or lever arm and a lower lever arm which are pivotally connected to one another. The lower lever arm is provided with a grid and, between the two lever arms there is a second grid. The material which is to be pressed is placed between the second grid and the upper lever arm, whereafter the lever arms are cranked towards one another.
In certain embodiments, this garlic press is designed in such a manner that the components included in the garlic press may be separated from one another, either for replacement or for cleaning.
The garlic press as disclosed in WO 02/096251 may possibly be easy to clean, but does not offer reliable pressing, since the material which is to be pressed can very likely be moved sideways; in other words it is not held in position.
Another example of a garlic press is illustrated in DE 203 03 402. This garlic press has, in a conventional manner, a lower lever arm with an accommodation space for the material which is to be pressed, this accommodation space being closed in one direction by means of a grid. Further, this garlic press has an upper lever arm which is pivotally connected to the lower arm and which has a press plate by means of which the material which is to be pressed is forced down into the accommodation space and through the grid disposed there.
According to this publication, the press grids are replaceable in order to permit a greater or lesser degree of comminution of the material to be pressed.
The replaceable function of the press grids naturally implies simplified cleaning, but nevertheless, the cleaning of the press may be difficult because of the limited access to the remaining surfaces that come into contact with the material being pressed.
It is desirable to design the food press intimated by way of introduction such that it obviates the drawbacks inherent in the prior art technology. In particular, it is desirable to design the food press so that it affords an extremely effective pressing result, that the different parts of the food press are readily accessible for cleaning, that it will be ergonomically easy to handle and be of an aesthetically attractive appearance, and, in certain embodiments, permit replacement of a comminutor unit included in the food press, with a view to varying the comminution result.
According to an aspect of the present invention, a food press comprises a first portion with a first handle and an accommodation space for food which is to be pressed, a second portion with a second handle and a press plate and a comminutor unit through which the food is pressed, the comminutor unit being pivotally connected to the first portion via a first pivot and to the second portion via a second pivot, wherein the first portion is pivotally connected to the second portion via a pivot device.